Attack of the Chicken Youkai
by doggieearlover
Summary: Kagome is late coming back through the well. What could the holdup possibly be? InuYasha finds out when he goes looking for her. Rated for Language and some nudity.


Disclaimers: I do not own InuYasha or any of the manga/anime characters. They belong to the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters do belong to me.

Warnings: Language and some nudity

**Attack of the Chicken Youkai**

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!! Where the fuck is she!!' InuYasha thought to himself. He had been back and forth between the Goshinboku and the Bone Eater's Well more times than he could count. She was supposed to be back yesterday!'

"It must be your fault, InuYasha! What did you do to her, baka?" Shippou yelled at him.

"I ain't done nothin' cause I ain't seen the bitch, runt!" the irate hanyou responded.

"Are you certain you do not know why our lovely miko has not returned?" Miroku asked.

"Fuck no! I ain't seen her! She said I'd better wait four days, and I did! She's supposed to be back by now!" InuYasha shouted back at the monk.

"No need to get angry. She must have been detained," Miroku told him.

"Hey guys, lunch is ready!" Sango called across the clearing to them.

"Coming, my lovely Sango!" Miroku yelled back. "Let us go, Shippou. InuYasha will come when he is hungry."

InuYasha steamed at the invasion of his privacy as they walked away. He would never admit he was hungry - he had hardly eaten at all while Kagome was away. Finally, once the others were out of sight, and unable to stand it any more, he jumped into the well.

InuYasha jumped out on the other side and stormed towards the house, leaping up onto the roof outside of Kagome's window. What he saw made him come to a complete halt. There was the miko, stretched out on her bed on her stomach, one arm hanging over the side. She looked disheveled, and he could smell her exhaustion. What the hell was going on?

Taking a deep breath and calming himself so he wouldn't upset her, he quietly entered through the window. He took the bedcover that had fallen aside and tugged it back up over her, and then sat on the floor to wait.

InuYasha was still pondering what was going on that had Kagome in such a state when he heard Souta call out. The hanyou quietly left Kagome's room and went down the hall to her younger brother. He opened the door and his eyes sprang wide open.

"What the hell happened to you?" the hanyou asked as he ran to the boy. Souta was covered all over in red bumps, and InuYasha could feel the heat emanating from his body.

"Chickenpox," Souta replied simply.

"Nani?" InuYasha asked. "You were attacked by a chicken youkai? What did it do to give you spots? Where is it, I'll kill it."

Souta tried not to laugh as he shook his head, and rubbed at his arms with sock-covered hands. "No, no demons InuYasha. It's a virus."

"Huh?" the hanyou responded. "What's that?"

Souta launched into an explanation for his bewildered visitor, but by the time he was done, they both seemed more confused than when he started. "Never mind, Kagome can probably explain it better to you," the boy told him.

InuYasha finally asked, "Did the chicken attack Kagome, too? She's exhausted."

Souta shook his head. "She's been taking care of me. Neither my mother nor grandfather ever had it before, and they say it is much worse for adults to catch it than it is for kids. Kagome's never had it either, but it wouldn't be as bad for her to get it as someone my mother or grandfather's age. She told Mama and Jii-chan to go and stay with our aunt and she would take care of me. I'm afraid she hasn't been getting much sleep between my itching and fever. She must have finally crashed."

"Wha…what happened to your hands? Did you hurt them?" InuYasha was curious about the socks.

Souta sighed. "I keep scratching, and they are afraid I'll make these bumps get infected. Kagome covered my hands so I couldn't tear them open so easily. They might scar if I don't leave them alone."

InuYasha suddenly felt very bad for being angry with Kagome. He was upset with her for being late, and she was stuck here by herself taking care of her sick younger brother. He was yanked out of his thoughts when he heard, "InuYasha? Could you get me some more water? I'm really thirsty, and I need to take some more of these pills."

"Keh."

InuYasha picked up the plastic pitcher that Souta pointed at sitting on the table next to the bed. He leaped down the stairs with it since the bathroom sink wasn't deep enough for it to fit.

The hanyou stood in front of the kitchen sink, trying to figure out how to get the top off. He pulled, but nothing happened. He could make the top turn, but couldn't figure out how to remove it. Finally, in frustration, he took a claw and neatly cut a hole in the top of the plastic cap. Turning on the water, he filled it up and carried it back up the stairs.

Souta grinned when he saw the reconfiguration of the pitcher. He hoped Kagome didn't have a cow over it. It was his fault, after all. He should have pulled the top off before he sent InuYasha out of the room with it. Instead all he said was, "Thanks, InuYasha."

"Feh."

"Hey, InuYasha?"

"Yeah, Souta?"

"Would you check on my sister? She's been making sure I had soup and stuff to eat, but I'm not sure she has eaten anything herself."

"Keh. You need anything else?" the hanyou asked.

The boy shook his head. "The medicine to help keep me from itching so much makes me tired, so I'm going back to sleep. Just take care of Kagome, all right?"

"Keh."

InuYasha silently entered Kagome's room and closed the door behind him. Not certain what to do, he sat on the floor next to her bed and just looked at her for a while. Getting braver, he placed his hand in the middle of her back and started rubbing gentle circles. He could feel her tense, tired muscles start to relax under his touch, but nearly jumped when he heard, "mmmm, Inu…Yasha…" Kagome shifted as she snuggled her pillow a little closer, and he realized that she was still asleep. So he stayed like that, sitting in the floor next to her bed, rubbing her back as she slept.

Kagome had finally gone to her own bedroom to lie down. She hadn't planned on falling asleep; she just needed to rest for a few minutes. She had been up most of the last thirty hours or so with Souta. In addition to being miserable with the rash, he had been running a fever. He had eventually slipped into a more peaceful sleep, and Kagome had wearily dragged herself to her own room and flopped down on the bed. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, she fell asleep.

She felt someone rubbing her back, helping her tired and aching muscles to relax. At first, she thought it was InuYasha, but then remembered he was supposed to be on the other side of the well. She had threatened to sit him six feet deep if he did not let her go home and take her test in peace. She had no idea she would end up being stuck here, taking care of Souta. However, when she got on the Internet to see what she could find out about Chickenpox, and discovered that it would really be bad for her mother or grandfather to catch them, she volunteered to stay. Besides, she couldn't go back as long as her little brother was contagious, anyway. She would risk carrying Chickenpox to Feudal Japan, and it would be much worse in that time than it was in hers. They didn't have anti-viral or anti-itch medication, much less antibiotics for infected blisters, after all. And more seriously, there were actually a number of fatalities from it due to complications before there were so many medications in use.

"Mama, when did you come home?" the tired sibling asked drowsily as she started to awaken. Having ruled out her hanyou, she decided that it must be her mother rubbing her back to comfort her.

The tender touch stopped as the hand was yanked away. As Kagome opened her eyes, she was stunned to find concerned amber ones looking back at her.

"Inu…InuYasha?"

"Yeah, wench?"

"What are you doing here?" the miko asked, exhaustion in her voice.

"You were supposed to be back yesterday. I came to see what the hold-up was," InuYasha responded.

Kagome groaned. "I'm sorry. I've been taking care of Souta…"

"I know. I saw the brat a little while ago. He said your mother and grandfather left so they wouldn't get sick. How did a chicken cause all of that, anyway? I still don't understand." The hanyou looked concerned and puzzled.

Kagome actually giggled. "I'll try to explain it when I'm not so exhausted. OH NO! Did you say you saw Souta?"

InuYasha jumped at her exclamation. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Oh, InuYasha. Souta is contagious. I couldn't come back and tell you why I was late because you could catch it. Now, you can't go back, either."

"What do you mean? I don't catch any puny human illnesses," the hanyou stated.

Kagome sighed. She knew this would not be easy for him to understand. "InuYasha, even if you don't get sick, you can carry the virus back to the others. You could make all of them sick. It is highly contagious at the stage Souta is at."

"So you mean I have to stay here with you?" InuYasha asked quietly.

Kagome sat up on her bed. "Yes, at least until Souta's symptoms have cleared up, and we really shouldn't travel through the well until we are sure neither of us will catch it."

"How long will that be?"

"Three weeks."

"Nani?"

"Twenty-one days, InuYasha. Though if either of us is going to catch it, it could show up in as soon as ten days."

"Feh. I told you I don't catch human illnesses."

"Still, we can't risk infecting the others. It could start an epidemic," Kagome said seriously.

"Epi..epi what?" the hanyou asked.

"We could cause a whole bunch of people, like the entire village, to become sick. And they wouldn't have any way to fight it. People use to die from it," Kagome restated.

InuYasha's shoulders slumped in defeat. And then he did something that was totally unexpected: he stood and gathered Kagome up in his arms and headed downstairs.

Kagome blushed at the unexpected contact. "Where are you taking me, InuYasha?" She just knew he was about to try and take her back to the past, anyway. She wondered how much it was going to hurt if she had to sit him while he was carrying her.

"Downstairs. Souta said he didn't think you had eaten much and made me promise to take care of you. You need to eat something," the hanyou responded.

"Oh, okay." Kagome wasn't sure what else to say.

InuYasha's stomach rumbled in reply. Kagome looked at him and said, "It looks like I'm not the only one who hasn't been eating."

"Feh."

InuYasha set her on her feet when he reached the kitchen. Kagome was far too tired to want to even reheat anything, so she pulled a box of cereal out of the pantry and the milk from the refrigerator. However, her hands were shaking due to her exhaustion and lack of food, and she found InuYasha gently taking the milk from her hand and guiding her towards a chair at the table.

"Sit, wench. You're too weak. What do I do with this?" he asked.

Kagome was too weary to argue with him. "Just pour some of the cereal in the bowls and then the milk in with it."

"Keh," the hanyou responded as he studied the box, trying to figure out how to open it without just ripping the top off. He had already learned that cardboard did not resist his claws very well.

He heard a stifled giggle as Kagome said, "Here, let me."

She took the box and opened the top and then the liner inside and handed it back to him. "Try it now."

InuYasha nodded as he managed to fill each of the bowls with the cereal and then set the box aside. He picked up the carton of milk. He didn't have any trouble with it since he occasionally drank straight from the carton when no one was watching. He didn't understand the need for a glass when the container had a perfectly usable spout for pouring the liquid directly into your mouth.

After pouring milk over the cereal until Kagome told him to stop, he pushed the bowl across to her and then repeated the process for himself. Each with a spoon in hand, they ate in silence. InuYasha was still feeling bad that he was so angry at the miko for not returning on time, and the miko was wondering what got into the hanyou that he was being so nice. On the other hand, when it was just the two of them, he wasn't always so gruff when there weren't any witnesses around. Deciding to not make anything more of the current situation, she ate her cereal and occasionally glanced up at the hanyou.

InuYasha ate his cereal and then picked up the bowl to drain the remaining milk. He hated to admit just how hungry he really was, but he had no intention of telling Kagome that he had not eaten since she had returned home. InuYasha didn't want her to know just how much she affected him. It was better that way, with her not knowing.

InuYasha spent the rest of the day looking in on both Souta and Kagome. After she'd eaten, Kagome had gone back upstairs (well, he'd carried her there) to check on her little brother, only to discover that he was sleeping peacefully. With a promise from InuYasha that he would go to the boy if needed, she lay back down on her bed and drifted asleep. InuYasha settled on the floor next to the bed so that he could watch over her. He'd have no trouble hearing Souta if he called out, either.

Unable to just sit there, InuYasha moved by the side of the bed closer to Kagome. She had rolled over on her stomach before she fell asleep, and so he started to gently rub her back again. Her muscles were still tense because she was so tired, and he worked to loosen them up a bit. She had reacted favorably before, and had not sat him when she woke up, so the hanyou decided this contact with her was fairly safe. Feeling the knots in her shoulders and neck, he ended up on his knees so that he could use both hands to knead her aching back. He fell into a rhythm and worked up and down her back as she slept, not stopping until he heard Souta call out.

InuYasha had to chuckle as he left the boy's room. Souta had needed help because he wanted to go to the toilet, but he was so tangled up in his sheets he couldn't get loose. InuYasha helped to free him, and made sure he did not need anything else before he went back down the hall.

He caught his breath when he returned to Kagome's room. She had rolled over on her back, and her shirt had hitched up, revealing her stomach and the swell of her breasts. The hanyou was panting when he closed the door behind him and went downstairs to find something to drink instead.

Kagome had lain, totally relaxed, as InuYasha rubbed her back. She lay as still as she could, breathing evenly, trying to make him believe that she was asleep. The miko couldn't believe he was being so nice to her, and seemed so concerned. She just knew he would be upset because they couldn't go back, but they really couldn't risk infecting the entire village with Chickenpox. It just wasn't worth taking the chance over.

Then again, she really should not have been so surprised. The truth was, he was a lot more gentle when the others were not around, nagging at both of them and embarrassing him. And well, her, too. Here, there was no pervert monk or teasing kitsune to aggravate him. For that matter, even Sango had interrupted a couple of special times. She may have meant well, but she ruined the moment for them. Maybe they would be able to work through some of their issues while they were here, almost alone. Souta was sick so he wouldn't be interrupting too much. Besides, she suspected her brother secretly wished they would get together almost as much as she did.

Kagome was disappointed when InuYasha stopped what he was doing and went to check on her little brother. However, she got an idea and rolled over, pulling her shirt up almost enough to reveal her breasts, but not quite. She would give almost anything for him to rub her breasts the way he had her back.

She didn't miss his gasp when he came back in and saw her, and then ran back out of the room. Well, apparently he wasn't quite ready for that yet. Or maybe he just didn't think of her that way. Kagome sighed and rolled back over on her side. She didn't know what to think.

InuYasha's heart was still pounding from the vision he had of wanting to reach out to touch her. He poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down. He resolved to himself to go back up and just pull her shirt back down, if it was still hitched up. Yeah, that would be okay. As much as he wanted to look at her, he knew he shouldn't; and besides that, he didn't want to get sat.

The hanyou was almost disappointed that Kagome had rolled over on her side and had her back to him now. He sat down on the floor next to the bed and leaned back against the wall again. He also had not slept the entire time Kagome had been gone. It wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for a few minutes…

Kagome really had fallen asleep before InuYasha had returned to her room. However, she awakened to hear his soft snores from the foot of her bed. She sat up to look and saw him asleep, leaning back against the wall. Gods, he looked so uncomfortable like that, no matter how many times she had seen him sleep that way. She was sitting there staring at him when his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," she said softly.

"What?" InuYasha said, more harshly than he intended.

"Never mind," she whispered.

"I…I'm sorry. You surprised me," InuYasha responded equally as soft.

"I…I just thought you looked uncomfortable. When was the last time you slept?" Kagome asked him.

InuYasha turned his head and blushed. "Feh. You know I don't need as much sleep as you puny humans."

"I know. But you do need some. So when…"

"It doesn't matter," InuYasha replied, still looking away from her.

"Yes, it does. Come and lay down on my bed. I need to go look in on Souta and figure out what we can have for dinner, anyway," Kagome told him. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"Keh," he answered as he got up off of the floor. "Just for a little while. Call me if you need me."

"All right, InuYasha. I will." Kagome left her room but left her door partially open. She went to check in on Souta and found him still sleeping quietly. She then went downstairs to look in the refrigerator and pantry to see what they could have for their supper.

The rest of the evening went peacefully. InuYasha helped Souta take a cool bath and clean the blisters on his back that he could not reach, and then patted him dry as Kagome had instructed. She told him to try not to pop them so that they wouldn't scar or become infected. The hanyou had to wince when he saw some of the places that the poor boy had the blisters, and helped him to put the cream that the doctor had prescribed on the worst of them, and calamine lotion on the rest.

While InuYasha was helping Souta bathe, Kagome was busy changing out his bed linens. She hoped that clean sheets every day would help Souta clear up and keep him from getting any worse than he already was. She was also grateful for InuYasha's help. He may be her little brother, but some of those blisters were in places a bit more personal than she wanted to handle if she could help it.

The following morning, InuYasha finally brought up a subject he was afraid she would sit him over.

"Uh…Kagome?"

"Yeah, InuYasha?"

"The others are going to be worried. They don't know where I went, and they thought you would be back by now. Can I go back at least long enough to tell them?" the hanyou asked with hesitation.

"InuYasha, if you go, you can carry the disease back to the others. You saw Souta. He had the vaccination and still got it. They don't have any way to fight it," Kagome answered.

"I…I was thinking about that. What if I didn't get out of the well, but just yelled up to see if someone was there? Shippou or one of the others is bound to come around if I yell loud enough. They'll be worried if you don't come back," he responded.

"And what about you? You don't think they'll miss you?"

InuYasha shook his head. "I doubt it. Though that pervert monk probably has his own ideas. The others will just be mad because they figured it was my fault you didn't come back on time."

"I'm sorry, InuYasha. But I had to stay. It would have been bad if Mama or Jii-chan got it. They could get much sicker than Souta. And Jii-chan is old enough it would have really made him ill if he came down with it," Kagome told him.

"It…it's okay. I saw how tired you were when I got here from taking care of him. But what do you think? Can I at least try to tell them? And how long did you say before we can go back again?" InuYasha replied.

"Well, according to everything I found, it can show up between ten days and three weeks. You'd better tell them that to be on the safe side. Both of us could carry it back even if we don't catch it. By then, we should know and it should be safe. That would make it around the time of the waxing quarter moon. Tell them we should be able to come back around then."

InuYasha nodded in understanding as he stood to go out.

"InuYasha?"

He stopped and looked at the miko.

"Promise me you won't come in actual contact with any of them. I'm serious. It would really be bad if we carried Chickenpox to your era. Souta has a mild case of it, as bad as it looks. It can be a lot worse."

"Keh," he responded, and headed out to the well.

On the other side of the well, it was Shippou's turn to pace. He was upset that not only had Kagome not returned, InuYasha wasn't there for him to aggravate, either. He was surprised when he heard a familiar voice yell up from the well, "Hey, is anybody up there?"

Shippou jumped on the edge of the well and looked down. "Where've you been? And where's Kagome? She's still mad and won't come back, isn't she?"

"No runt, that ain't it at all. Go get one of the others and bring them back," InuYasha yelled back up at him. "And hurry up about it!"

"Why! Why should I have to do anything, you baka! Where's Kagome!" Shippou retorted.

"I ain't telling you nothin' runt, until you get one of the others. She can't come back yet, and I can't come near any of you. Just fuckin' hurry up!" InuYasha was getting pissed now. The stupid runt, just once couldn't he do as he was asked?

"Why don't you do it yourself!" Shippou yelled back down.

"Because I promised Kagome I wouldn't leave the fucking well so I wouldn't make all of you sick with whatever her brother has. Now go get one of the others!!" InuYasha bellowed at him.

_That_ got Shippou's attention. "Why didn't you say so!"

"I just did, now fucking hurry it up. I have to go back!"

Shippou took off and found Miroku. By the time they made it back to the well, he had managed to collect Sango and Kaede as well.

All four faces peered over the edge of the well, to see InuYasha standing at the bottom with his arms crossed, and his fingers drumming one arm while he waited. He looked up when he sensed them. "About fucking time!"

"Why do you not come out of the well, InuYasha?" Kaede asked him.

"Because I promised Kagome I wouldn't. Didn't the runt tell you that?"

"All he said was that her brother was deathly ill, and that she might be too!" Sango yelled down.

"Fucking runt. Never can get anything right," InuYasha said, mostly to himself. "That's why I wouldn't tell him what happened. He doesn't listen. Kagome's brother is sick, and she's taking care of him by herself. She said that she couldn't risk bringing whatever it is back here, because the whole village could catch it and get sick. Kagome made her mother and the old man leave because it would make them really ill if they got it. She said I couldn't come back, either. Neither of us can come back until the next waxing quarter moon. By then she said that we should either have caught it, or be clear."

Miroku called down, "But what does he have?"

"I don't understand it. I thought they said he'd been attacked by a chicken youkai. All I know is that he is covered in red blisters that itch, and was running a fever. And, he can spread it to anyone who has never had it, including Kagome. He has some of those spots in places I don't want to think about," InuYasha added for good measure.

That made Miroku cringe.

"So what are you doing, while Kagome cares for her brother?" Sango asked.

"The wench was so exhausted from taking care of him by herself that she had passed out, so I've been helping her. She won't be no good to help us look for jewel shards if she's all worn out," InuYasha shouted back.

"So when did she say you could return?" Kaede asked.

"Around the quarter moon after the next moonless night was what she said. The wench is really worried about making the rest of you sick," the hanyou replied.

"What about me! I'm a full youkai and can't get sick!" Shippou pouted. "Why can't she come see me!"

"For the same reason I'm yelling at you from the bottom of this fucking well! She's says we can carry it and give it to others even if we can't catch it ourselves. Any more fucking questions?" InuYasha was getting just a bit annoyed.

"No, InuYasha. Thank you for coming back and letting us know what happened. We were concerned that the child had not yet returned. Tell her that we wish her well, and that her brother recovers quickly," Kaede responded.

"Tell her we were worried about her!" Sango called down. If she had plans for saying anything more they were interrupted by a loud slap and, "Lecher!"

Miroku was rubbing his jaw and grinning as he looked over the wall of the well and yelled, "Do not do anything that I would not do!"

"If that's all, I'm going back!" InuYasha shouted back up. He'd had enough of that.

"We will look for you around the time of the next waxing quarter moon, then," Kaede said as InuYasha jumped high enough to activate the well, and disappeared into the blue flash.

"Well, I guess we can see what needs to be done around the village while we are here," Sango said as they headed back towards Kaede's hut.

"So, do you really think that Souta is sick?" Miroku asked as he contemplated reaching towards Sango's rear again. "Or are they just spending some time together on the other side?"

"Did you not hear the worry in his voice? He is concerned about Kagome falling ill like her younger brother. It must be serious indeed if she sent her mother and grandfather away so that they would not become sick. I do not believe that InuYasha would make up such a story unless it was true. It is fortunate that he is a hanyou, and probably not susceptible to whatever this disease is. We must pray for their good health, and then their return to us," Kaede said wisely.

The others nodded in agreement and remained silent as they thought about what they had heard.

They went through another day of taking care of Souta, with InuYasha helping him with his bath while Kagome changed out his sheets. His fever had climbed a little higher (which InuYasha noticed and told the miko), and so Souta ended up in the tepid water bath several times during the day along with his doses of Tylenol. At one point, Kagome ended up going to the market to get some more fresh soup. She wasn't nearly as concerned about spreading Chickenpox in the present as she was in the past, and she hoped that the soup would help both Souta and herself. She didn't want to admit that she was starting to feel ill as well. However, she had not seen any signs of the spots, so she dismissed the thought to the fact she was so tired. Truthfully, Kagome did not know how she would have managed if InuYasha had not shown up. Who knew taking care of one sick little boy could be so tiring?

Kagome was exhausted and ready to go to bed early. However, she couldn't bear the thought of InuYasha sleeping on her floor again as he had the night before. He was working so hard to help her, and being so nice, the least she could do was allow him to sleep in her bed with her. There wasn't much room, but there was enough.

"InuYasha? Is Souta still sleeping?"

The hanyou had just returned from the boy's room. "Keh. And his fever is back down. He's doing better than he was earlier."

"Well, I'm beat, and ready to turn in. How about you?"

"I could sleep," the hanyou responded.

"Come on then, let's go to bed. There's enough room for both of us," Kagome told him as she lay down the last towel she had folded. They had been through quite a few due to Souta's numerous baths that day.

"Keh?"

"InuYasha, I don't want you sleeping on the floor. Come on, let's go."

InuYasha blushed at the thought of actually sleeping in the bed with Kagome in it as well. He remained silent and followed her up the stairs. After they entered her room, the miko went and rummaged around in one of her dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

"Here. One of my cousins left these behind the last time they visited. It'll be more comfortable, at least for me, if you will put these on. Your firerat is a bit rough. I'm going to take a quick shower and put on my pajamas. You change into these while I'm gone, okay?"

InuYasha blushed, but replied, "Keh."

Kagome actually tingled all over at the idea that InuYasha was going to sleep in her bed with her. While she only expected to sleep, she knew she would enjoy the close contact that it would give them. She was also wondering if he would rub her back for her again. It had felt so much better after he had kneaded her tired muscles. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask. She wouldn't have to let on she knew what he had done when he thought she was asleep. Instead she could mention the first time when she woke up, thinking it was her mother. Yeah, that could work.

It was the miko's turn to catch her breath when she returned to her room, and InuYasha was shirtless. Gods he was handsome and well built. And while it wasn't the first time she had seen him with no shirt, usually it was because he was hurt and she was bandaging him up. What she wanted to do was go and wrap her arms around him, but a giggle escaped her instead.

InuYasha was holding up the t-shirt she had given him. She had just pulled it out of the drawer and not paid any attention to it, and it had been there for some time. The last she remembered, it was an extra large shirt, but the one InuYasha was holding before him wouldn't even have fit her small frame very comfortably.

Kagome walked over to InuYasha and took the shirt from him and held it up by the shoulders. "I'm sorry, InuYasha. I thought it was bigger. I've heard of things shrinking like this, but I've never actually seen it before. Do you want me to find you something else, or do you want to sleep like that?"

"You…you don't mind?" InuYasha said. He was perfectly comfortable in the sweatpants and no shirt since it wasn't cold.

"I don't mind. I was going to ask you, though. Would you mind rubbing my back again? Like you did the other day when you first came? I'm so tired and my neck and shoulders really hurt," Kagome replied.

"Keh, if you want. What do I do?"

"The same thing you were doing the other day. It really made my back feel better," she told him as she lay on her stomach on the bed.

This time she allowed herself to make little moans and groans of appreciation as InuYasha worked out the muscles that were knotted up in her back. At first he was shy, barely touching her as he rubbed. However she encouraged him to dig in harder until he was finally working on her like he had been when he thought she was asleep. Kagome couldn't help but to sigh in contentment as she felt his strong hands work on her back.

The first night was a bit awkward as the pair tried to get comfortable in the same bed. InuYasha had decided it would be acceptable if they slept back to back, so he had climbed in and faced the wall. Kagome was a bit disappointed at first, but still it was some progress. He had accepted, after all. She climbed in and faced away from him. At some point during the night they ended up pushed against each other. For now, each was content with the warmth of the other's back pressed against their own.

The next three days went much the same way. They would make sure that Souta was taken care of, and Kagome would study some during the day now that she had InuYasha helping her. At night, InuYasha would rub Kagome's back for her, and then they would lie down, back to back, and go to sleep.

The fourth night, Kagome decided to see if he would let her repay the favor.

"InuYasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you let me rub your back, like you do mine? It really has helped me sleep at night since I felt so much better."

"You want to?" the hanyou asked hesitantly. He'd thought about it, but would never dare ask her that.

"If you'll let me try," the miko said shyly. "Why don't you lay down on your stomach on the bed?"

InuYasha did not say anything, but did as she asked. He was already dressed for bed, wearing only the sweatpants.

Kagome first tried on her knees, next to the bed, but discovered she couldn't reach him very well since she wasn't as tall as he was. Taking a deep breath, she stood, placed one knee on the mattress, and then proceeded to swing the other over him. She could feel him tense up as she settled down to sit on his butt.

"I'm sorry, InuYasha, I couldn't reach you. I'll get off if you don't want me to try it this way," she said softly.

"s okay" he answered, at the moment glad he was face down, and that he wasn't laying on something that wouldn't give since he was getting hard at the unexpected contact.

Kagome started to gently knead his back and shoulders with her soft hands. As InuYasha had, she barely touched him at first, not certain how he would react. She found a knot over his right shoulder blade and started to rub on it, and barely heard a muffled "harder" from her pillow. Encouraged, she started to dig in.

At first, InuYasha's entire body began to prickle with the sensations of Kagome gently rubbing at his back. When she found the spot he would never admit was a bit sore and started to knead it, he really understood why she had allowed this, even asked for it, every night. It really felt good. He mumbled to her that she could dig in harder, and then relaxed as she proceeded to do so. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep, stretched out, in the middle of her bed.

Kagome was almost angry at first that InuYasha had fallen asleep on her; but then again, he had done a lot of things to help her throughout the day. Well, ever since he came back and found Souta ill. The miko also realized that it showed how much he trusted her and that he was comfortable with her, or it never would have happened. Not wanting to wake him up, but still wanting to be near him, she decided the best course of action would be to stretch out on top of him. And so she did. She wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled against his back, and drifted off to sleep.

InuYasha woke up during the night and realized there was something warm on his back. He almost threw it off before he recognized the scent that totally enveloped him, _Kagome_. While her presence was always strong in her bedroom, it had taken on a slightly different flavor as her body hugged his. Then he remembered dozing off while she was massaging his back. That was when he realized that he was taking up her entire bed and she had nowhere else to sleep. She had fallen asleep on his back as he carried her before, so he surmised it wasn't a great stretch for her to fall asleep on top of him as she had here. Deciding that there wasn't really anything more to it than that, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep again, reveling in her scent that filled his senses.

They started off the next day much the same as the previous ones, except that Kagome seemed even more tired than before. Souta was doing much better, and his sores were starting to crust over as the blisters popped and drained on their own. At Kagome's insistence, he started off every morning with a bath as soon as he had something to eat. While InuYasha went with the boy to give him whatever help he needed, Kagome went to change the bed linens again. The hanyou was rubbing the ointment for the spots on Souta's back when he heard a thump. He thrust the tube into the boy's hand, and ran to the room where he knew Kagome was changing the sheets.

"Kagome!" InuYasha exclaimed, his voice full of worry. The miko was sitting in the middle of the floor. "What's wrong?"

"I don't feel so well, and I have a headache. I think I'm just too tired," Kagome stated from her spot in the floor.

"It's my fault. You didn't get enough sleep last night, did you wench?" InuYasha stated as he leaned over to help her up. "I won't do it again. I didn't mean to take your whole bed."

InuYasha gave her a hand to pull her up, but she fell back down with another thud. At that point, the hanyou just leaned over and gathered her up in his arms. He clutched her tightly when he realized she wasn't well. "Kagome, you're burning up!"

He headed back down the hall towards the bathroom, where Souta was emerging with clean pajamas and a lot less spots. Apparently, in his boredom, he had added some with a red marker that were now gone. "Sorry squirt, we need in there," InuYasha stated as he went in and closed the door behind them. He had turned the color of his firerat all over as he realized what was necessary. That was the one good thing about helping with Souta - he knew what Kagome needed now. He just hoped she didn't sit him to Hell for what he was about to do.

The miko was somewhat out of it as InuYasha sat her on the toilet seat and pulled her top over her head. That got her attention. "InuYasha! What-"

"You are burning up, just like your brother was. You need in that cool bath like he did. You can sit me to Hell later, but right now we've got to get your fucking fever down. If you can get in by yourself, I'll leave."

Kagome tried to stand, just to show him she could, and fell right into him instead.

"That's enough, wench. You'll hurt yourself," the hanyou said softly. "I'm only going to help you, I promise. Do you trust me?"

She looked up to see golden eyes filled with concern. She must have been delirious as well, because she could have sworn she saw something else there in addition to worry. She nodded. "Help me out of these."

The hanyou was flushed red all over in embarrassment at having to help her strip, and Kagome was pink all over, though she didn't know if it was from the awkwardness of the situation, or her fever. She sighed in relief, though, as he lowered her into the lukewarm water.

InuYasha stood and turned to leave. "Call me when you're ready to come out."

"You…you're leaving me?" she asked faintly.

The hanyou turned to her, puzzled. "You want me to stay?"

Kagome just nodded her head at first. At this point she had no thoughts of even attempting to seduce him. She was feeling so weak she was afraid she might pass out and slip under the water.

"Hey, InuYasha?"

"Keh?"

"Will you check my back for spots like Souta had? I don't see any so far, but sometimes it starts on your back. Will you look, please?" Kagome asked as she moved forward, making the water slosh around her.

"All right," InuYasha answered as he turned around. Kagome pulled her hair out of the way to try and give him a clear view of her back.

She jumped slightly as she felt his tender touch on her back, and immediately felt his hand pull away. "It's okay, I just wasn't expecting it."

This time shivers ran down her spine as he softly examined her back, looking for any sign of the welts like Souta had. He touched her back in several different places. "It feels like something is starting here, and there are little red spots."

Kagome sighed. "That's how it starts. I hope I don't get it too bad. They gave me the vaccination right after it came out, but it doesn't work on everyone. I guess it doesn't like our family very well. First Souta, now me. Would you go ask Souta for a couple of his Tylenol, and bring me a glass of water with them?"

"Keh," InuYasha replied as he stood, and went to find the younger sibling.

"Hey, InuYasha, what's going on?" Souta asked when the hanyou entered his bedroom.

"It looks like Kagome is coming down with the same thing you have. She asked for your ty… ty…ty…"

"Tylenol?" the boy finished for him.

"Keh. She's burning up."

"I have the kid's version. She probably needs what Mama keeps for Jii-chan. Come on," Souta suggested as he headed downstairs.

InuYasha returned upstairs with the whole bottle and a glass of water while Souta stayed in the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. The hanyou figured the fact that his appetite was picking up was a good thing, and didn't argue with the boy about going back to bed.

He wasn't really prepared for the sight that met him when he approached the bath. Kagome had draped her arms over the side of the tub, and had apparently fallen asleep. The hanyou couldn't help but to stare at her naked form as it floated just under the surface of the water. Yes, he had helped undress her and put her there, but he was still in awe of just how beautiful she was. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head. He shouldn't think such things.

He set the bottle and glass down on the counter, and gently cupped Kagome's head in his hand. Her scalp was the only thing he wasn't afraid to touch right now.

"Kagome, Kagome," he whispered. "I have that stuff you wanted."

"Mmmm, InuYasha," she responded sleepily.

"Come on, wench. I think you've been in there long enough for now." InuYasha reached and grabbed her under her arms so that he could lift her out of the tub. He picked up a towel and proceeded to dry her off in the same manner he had Souta, just in case. The hanyou helped her redress, take the Tylenol, and then swooped her up in front of him to carry her down the hall to her room.

"Hey Souta, can you help me for a minute?" InuYasha called down stairs.

"Sure, InuYasha. What is it?" the boy yelled back.

"Come upstairs and help me put Kagome to bed."

Souta appeared to be much better as he ran up the stairs. "So, does she have it now?"

"Keh, I think so. She's getting some of those spots on her back. Right now she has a fever, and she's so weak she can't stand up. Pull the covers on her bed back, will ya?"

Souta nodded and complied, and InuYasha carefully laid Kagome out on her bed, and then pulled her covers up over her. "Thanks, squirt. I'll stay with her if you want to go back to whatever you were doing."

"Okay, InuYasha. Just let me know if I can help. She did so much for me while I was sick before you got here."

"Just hope it isn't as bad as you were." InuYasha was blushing again - this time thinking of some of the places on Souta he had to help administer the cream to his blisters. Kagome _would_ sit him to hell if he had to put any of that stuff _there_.

The miko had fallen asleep almost immediately, with InuYasha sitting next to her bed to watch over her. He didn't know when he had drifted off himself, but jerked awake to the thrashing and cries of the miko, _"InuYasha, don't go… please, don't leave me…"_

"Shhhh… I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," InuYasha said as he tried to soothe her and untangle her from the bed covers. He could tell she was burning up again before he even touched her, and knew he needed to wake her from her nightmare and get her to take some more of those pills, and maybe get back in the bath.

"_InuYasha!"_ Kagome called as she bolted upright, panting.

The hanyou wasn't just surprised that she sat up like she had, but because her scent was laced with _fear_. Her stormy gray eyes locked on to his that were examining her face, and he could see it in her eyes as well. "Kagome, what is it? What's the matter?" he asked gently.

The miko took a deep breath and relaxed. "Sorry, I must have been having a nightmare. It must be the fever."

"I was going to wake you. You need to take some more of those pills since they helped, and get back in the bath to cool off," he advised as he handed her the bottle of Tylenol, and then gave her the glass of water to help swallow them. "Come on," InuYasha said as he threw back the covers and picked her up to carry her down the hall.

He was less hesitant this time about helping her out of her pajamas and into the bath. Once she was settled, he said, "I'm going to go and check on your brother. He's been too quiet."

"Thanks, InuYasha," Kagome responded before he closed the bathroom door behind him.

The hanyou reappeared a few minutes later. "Souta fell asleep downstairs in front of that box with the moving pictures. Should I bring him back up and put him to bed?"

"Does he look comfortable where he is?" she asked.

"Keh."

"You can let him stay where he is, then. He's probably tired of being cooped up in his room. Will you help me out now?" Kagome responded.

InuYasha lifted her effortlessly out of the tub before helping her pat dry. He stayed behind her, though, afraid to look at her directly from the front for fear of being caught staring, and then sat.

"InuYasha?" the hanyou jumped slightly as he was jolted from his thoughts, and staring at her beautiful backside.

"Keh?"

"Would you put this in the spots on my back? They're starting to itch some. And are they getting any worse? Can you tell?" she asked him.

"They don't look much worse," he responded as he took the open bottle from her, and started to dab the liquid in it on the rash. "This stuff must work, cause it stinks," he added.

"It helps stop the itching. Thanks, InuYasha," Kagome said gratefully. "We'll know in a day or two if it will be any worse or not. I'm hoping since I had the vaccination and a prescription, it won't get any worse than it is right now. All we can do is wait."

"Keh. Are you ready to go back to bed?" InuYasha asked. He had turned his back to her while she put her pajamas back on.

"Yeah, I am tired. I hope this will be over quicker if I can get plenty of sleep."

Kagome was back in her bed, asleep, with InuYasha next to her. Considering she was sick, she still looked so peaceful. At least that was what he was thinking as he drifted off leaning against the bed frame. Sometime early in the morning hours, he was awakened by her cries in her sleep.

"_InuYasha… please… don't go with her… please stay… please stay with me…I… I…I love you…I don't want you to die…you're supposed to live…"_

Before he had a chance to do anything, however, she had already slipped back into a more peaceful sleep, and was breathing easily again.

What was she talking about? She didn't love him, did she? She couldn't… he was just a hanyou.

InuYasha was on his knees next to her bed as he looked at her, and reached up to brush her bangs out of her face, and straighten the covers out over her. "That's good, you're sweating now. Your fever must be breaking. Don't worry, Kagome. I'll never leave you as long as you want me to stay. I wish I could let you know that I love you, too."

The miko couldn't help but to smile a little as her caretaker got up and went to get a damp washcloth to wipe her brow with. She had somewhat awakened at his attentions to her, gentle though they were, and heard the last part of his statement. She had no idea what had brought that on, but she was glad he said it out loud, even if he did not really intend for her to hear him.

Her eyes opened as he gently wiped her face with the damp cloth. "Hey."

"You were sweating. I think your fever is breaking," InuYasha told her. "Does this mean you won't be sick for as long as your brother was?"

"When Souta came down with it, they gave me a prescription that was supposed to help keep me from getting it, or at least not so badly. They said it didn't always work, but maybe it did this time. I guess we'll know in a day or two if I don't get any sicker," she answered. "InuYasha? Thanks for everything. It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't stayed and helped me."

The hanyou couldn't help but to blush. "Keh."

It had been about two weeks since InuYasha had come to the future, Kagome's present. As his senses started to dull noticeably during the afternoon, he realized something, "Hey, Kagome?"

The miko was looking much better, and looked up from the book she was studying. "Yeah?"

"Is the moonless night tonight?"

"I think it is. Hold on a minute." Kagome looked at her calendar with the phases of the moon. "Yes, it shows that the new moon is tonight. Don't worry, we're staying here."

"That ain't what I'm worried about…" she heard him say as his voice trailed away. Setting her book aside, she went to the hanyou. "What is it, InuYasha?"

She blushed when she realized he already had his firerat off, and was pulling off the kimono he wore under it. "Oh, InuYasha…" she whispered.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed in return as he looked at the rash that was creeping around his body. "My youkai blood must have been kept me from catching that. Now that it's receding…"

"You're coming down with Chickenpox," Kagome finished for him. She placed her hand to his forehead. "You're getting a fever, too. Come on."

"I wish Souta was still here to help," she commented as she pulled him towards the bathroom. Her little brother had gone to stay with one of his friends that had already had it, once he was clear and could go back to school. With Kagome ill, she wasn't able to make sure he got up and had his breakfast, so he was staying with his best friend until Mama and Jii-chan returned home.

"What could he do that you can't?" InuYasha asked, puzzled.

"You remember where some of those spots were you helped doctor?" she answered.

"Oh."

"Strip and get in the tub. The water will help with the itching and the fever. Try not to scratch," Kagome said as she gently caught his hand was rubbing at a particularly bright red spot on his abdomen. "It'll just make it worse. The sun will be down soon. It might be better if you were already in the water when you lose the rest of your youkai blood for the night."

Kagome turned her back to the hanyou while he pulled off the remainder of his clothing. "Fuck!" she heard him exclaim again, and couldn't help herself but to turn around. Her beautiful hanyou, now naked from head to toe, was becoming covered in the red spots. The earlier ones were already starting to blister up. And the sun would be below the horizon at any moment.

"InuYasha," she said quietly as she moved to him. "I'm so sorry."

"You're not getting sick again, are you?" the hanyou asked with concern since she was bright red all over. Then he realized it might be because he was standing buck naked in front of her.

"I'm okay… it…it…it's just that… you'd better get in the tub," she stumbled. "And don't scratch," she reiterated as she grabbed his hands again.

"Keh," he mumbled as he slid into the water. He had to admit, it did seem to help.

"InuYasha, have you ever been sick when you were human before?" Kagome asked as she tried not to look so she wouldn't stare. She knew he'd been injured, and poisoned, but had no idea about regular human illnesses.

"Not since I was a pup," the hanyou answered. "I haven't been around humans much before you lot."

"I guess we have to get you through the night, and in the morning, hopefully you'll clear up when you're back to normal," the miko responded.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" she heard, and turned to look at him in spite of herself.

"Oh, no!" There really wasn't much she could do. The hanyou just turned human was covered in the red spots, which were already blistering up. It appeared they were escalating, like they were catching up to where they would have been if his youkai half had not kept them at bay. She could see them, even in the water.

Kagome reached forward to feel his forehead. "You're burning up, too. Now that you're human, let me go get some Tylenol for you. I was afraid to give it to you before. I'll be back in a minute."

She ran to her room and grabbed the bottle. Dumping two in her hand, she took them back to the bathroom and got a cup of water. "Here. Put these in your mouth and swallow them with the water. Try not to chew them first."

InuYasha did as he was told, and slid back into the water. "Kagome… I'm really starting to itch…" He was trying not to scratch, but damn, it was hard not to.

"I'll be back. Just wait a second." The miko turned nurse ran to Souta's room and found the cream the doctor had given him for the spots on his genitals, and then to her room to retrieve the lotion that they had used on her back. She took a deep breath before she went back into the bathroom.

She almost laughed when she went back in. Apparently InuYasha had found a new use for his rosary. He wasn't scratching with his hands directly, but he was using the enchanted necklace to rub every place he could reach with it.

"All right, InuYasha. Get out and let's dry you off, and put some of this stuff on your rash. I hope it helps with the itching."

"Ka…Ka…Kagome…" InuYasha whispered. "I…I…I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" she asked gently. "This is my fault as much as anyone's. I was prepared to do this for Souta, so I can do it for you."

"What…what do you mean?" the hanyou turned pox-covered human asked while she started to gently pat him dry.

"He's my brother. I love him. I could do no less for you," Kagome responded.

"You love me like your brother?" InuYasha's heart did a flip. That wasn't really the kind of love he wanted, though he guessed it was better than nothing. He also didn't intend to say that out loud. Sometimes he said things as a human he didn't mean to.

"No, InuYasha. I love you for you," Kagome responded and slapped her hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, either.

"Kagome," InuYasha said as he turned and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. "Thank you." He wanted to say he loved her, too, but the words just wouldn't come out.

The miko gave him a smile, and said, "We need to get you well, or at least through the night without tearing all of these blisters open. Where should we start?"

"My back is driving me nuts," he answered, so she started rubbing the lotion on his back, starting where the rash was the reddest.

She stopped long enough to hand the tube of stuff they had used on Souta to him. "Can you put this on, well, you know… where you helped Souta?" Kagome was blushing bright red again as she asked.

The hanyou flushed even redder, but nodded. He sighed in relief as he rubbed the cream on his genitals where the blisters were starting to rub against each other as his body parts did.

Kagome gently covered him in the calamine lotion from head to toe. "All right, we had better get you to bed now. I'll get the sweats for you to wear for now." She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. "That'll cover you for the moment."

With a sigh, and wondering how bad this was going to get, Kagome opened the bathroom door and led him down the hall. Until she heard a thump behind her, that is. She spun to see what had happened. "InuYasha!"

The hanyou had passed out on the floor in the hall. He had fallen into something of a crumpled heap, the towel that was covering his lower regions having fallen aside.

"InuYasha, InuYasha," Kagome whispered frantically as she dropped to her knees beside him. She patted him gently on the cheek, "InuYasha, can you hear me?"

Receiving no response, and realizing he was much too heavy for her to move by herself, the miko did the best she could to straighten him out to what looked like a more comfortable position. She ran to her room and grabbed the pillow and blanket, and then pulled the top sheet off of her bed as well. Returning to him, she rolled him far enough to lay the blanket out on the floor, and then rolled him back on top of it. After laying the towel back over his midsection, she tucked the pillow under his head. Then she took the sheet and dipped it in the tub, which was still full of water in case they needed it again. Wringing it out as best she could, she went back and covered him with it. Once she had it over him from his toes up to under his chin, she reached under and pulled the towel away so the cool sheet could touch as much of him as possible. Not knowing what else to do, she sat down by him, and waited.

When he finally came to, he was trying to scratch himself all over. "Fuck, this itches," he said as he frantically rubbed wherever he could reach.

Kagome grappled with the sheet, trying to catch the moving arms underneath. "InuYasha, you have to stop or you'll make it worse."

"It can't get no worse, bitch," the hanyou snapped.

The miko abruptly turned him loose and ran to her room, slamming the door.

"Fuck," InuYasha said to himself. He had seriously fucked up, again. The last thing he remembered, she was trying to help him, and he had to go and call her a bitch. He also vaguely remembered hitting the hard floor, yet here he was on a blanket, with a pillow under his head, and a wet sheet over him to try and keep his fever down. He tried to get up, but realized he was too weak to go anywhere without any help. And he was really, really, itchy.

"Kagome?" he called out. "Kagome!"

He heard a sniffle as her door creaked open. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it…"

"I was only trying to help," she said softly as she approached him and wiped her tears away.

"I know. I didn't mean it. I… I… I just feel… so… so fucking weak…"

"Do you want some more of the lotion? Or to move to the bed?"

"I'd better stay here for now. I'm not strong enough to walk, and you can't carry me. Some more of that stuff for these itchy spots would be good," he responded.

"All right," Kagome said and went to the bathroom to retrieve the medications, and grabbed a couple more Tylenol for him to take.

She helped him sit up. "Here, take these first, so your fever doesn't go up again."

InuYasha nodded, and put the two tablets in his mouth, and let her help him with the cup of water.

"If you can stay up for just a minute, I'll spread some of this on your back before you lie back down." Kagome put some of the calamine lotion in her palm, and started to rub it up and down his back. "Okay, you can lay down, now."

As he lay back, Kagome grabbed his black mane of hair and fanned it out behind him. She then picked up the damp washcloth she had grabbed and proceeded to wipe his face and neck with it. Looking at his face, his eyes were closed and he looked more peaceful now. Determining that he must have fallen back asleep, she decided that she should wipe him down all over before she put fresh lotion on. Carefully folding the sheet down to just below his navel, she started to wipe down his arms and then his chest. When she reached his belly button, she was fascinated that the hairs that crept up from below were actually black. Looking at his face, she realized that those black eyebrows much have some matching hair _somewhere_, or was it black because all of his hair was right now? She blushed as she thought she'd kind of like to peek and get an answer after he'd changed back. When she'd had the opportunity before, she'd been far too embarrassed to look.

Shaking her head to clear it of those thoughts, she continued to gently clean his upper body. After going and rinsing the washcloth, she continued with his lower body, starting with his feet and working her way up. The sheet was now rolled up so that it only covered his most private parts. She had seen them, after all. She had helped him into the bath for cryin' out loud. Not only that, he'd seen her plenty when she was ill. Determined that all of him needed to be wiped down before a new layer of lotion or cream was applied, she hesitantly pulled the sheet down to reveal the rest of him.

What she saw didn't make her feel erotic. No, she felt rather sorry for the hanyou. His genitals had a generous supply of the Chickenpox blisters on them. No wonder he was so miserable and trying to scratch. Very carefully, she cleaned his testicles and penis. She sighed as she thought she would like to be handling them under different circumstances.

A fresh coat of lotion and cream had been applied to all of the appropriate places, and Kagome covered him back up. She thought about wetting the sheet back down, but so far, it was still damp and his fever didn't seem to be getting any worse. In fact, he seemed to be sleeping a little more easily. However, not wanting to have another scene like the one earlier, she went and pulled a pair of socks out and slipped them over his hands. At least if he tried to scratch when he was waking up again, he could do so without tearing the blisters.

She looked at the sick man in front of her, wearing nothing under the sheet but the rosary. She'd almost pulled it off as she was applying the lotion, but stopped herself. However, she had basically told him she loved him, and had shown how much she trusted him when he was taking care of her. If she _really_ trusted him, wouldn't she remove that damned thing? She rarely used it any more, though she had a couple of times when she was upset, and he really didn't deserve that treatment. And now she knew that he loved her, even if he didn't know she had heard him actually say the words when she was ill.

Deciding it was the right thing to do, and to hell with the others if they thought she was rash, she picked up the beads that were lying up under his chin where they had rolled, and then gently pulled it over his head. "I love you, and I trust you with my life, InuYasha. You don't need these anymore." She was surprised when, at her words, there was a flash and the rosary had been reduced to what looked like sparkling fairy dust.

Kagome stayed by InuYasha throughout the night, applying more lotion when he unconsciously started to rub, or getting him to sit up long enough to take more Tylenol when it was time. It was a relief when the first light of pre-dawn started to fill the horizon. She sighed as she leaned back heavily against the wall, exhausted. However, she was grateful that it hadn't been worse than it had. Even with his youkai blood gone for the night, he was still healthy and strong compared to most humans. Gently rubbing his head, she just hoped that with the change at dawn, all traces of the disease would be gone.

The transformation came with the dawn, and the human was hanyou again. He opened his eyes and smiled at the miko.

"Hey."

"Hey, you. Are you feeling better now?" she asked.

"Yeah. What the?" InuYasha had started to throw the sheet off of himself, but couldn't grab it due to the socks on his hands.

Kagome giggled and reached for them. "Here, let me take those off. I didn't want you to start scratching and tear the blisters open, so I covered your hands. I figured that was better than having another fight with you over it."

The hanyou's ears drooped at that comment. "Kagome… I… "

"It's all right, InuYasha. You were sick, itchy and had a fever. On top of that you had to stay on the floor all night because I couldn't move you. I'm just glad you're better now."

The hanyou threw the sheet back and stood.

Kagome blushed. Well, now she knew…. The hair really was black down there, though there were some silver ones sprinkled in the mix…

"What?" The hanyou said, and then looked down. He didn't realize he was stark naked under the sheet. He bent over to grab the sheet to cover himself.

He was surprised when his eyes met the miko's and they were twinkling like she was happy. He was even more stunned when she jumped up and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh, InuYasha. I was so worried about you. I'm so glad you're well now. Turn around, and let me make sure the rash is all gone."

The hanyou was quite bewildered as the miko examined him, and gently squeezed his buttock as she pronounced him rash-free.

He jumped slightly when she squeezed his butt. "Keh. I told you I don't get human illnesses," he said. He had flushed red all over at her attentions.

"Maybe not as a hanyou, but you sure had it as a mortal. You had me worried, you know," Kagome said softly as she hugged him again.

"Um, Kagome?"

"Yeah, InuYasha?"

"Would it be okay if I put some clothes on?"

"If you really want to, but you might want to take a shower first, and rinse all of the calamine lotion off of you. The rash may be gone, but the medicine for it is still on you," the miko informed him.

The hanyou wrinkled his nose. She was right. It was hard to tell since the stuff was everywhere. Not just on him, but the blanket and sheet he'd been wrapped up in as well. Now it was on her, too, since she hugged him.

"Keh," he agreed.

"Come on, I'll start the shower for you," Kagome told him as she headed towards the bathroom.

InuYasha spotted the discarded towel from the night before, and grabbed it to at least have some sort of modesty around her. He flushed red again just thinking of everything she had done for him overnight. Then again, he had done basically the same for her. Well, except for having to cover her from head to toe with that stinky stuff. At least her rash remained on her back. And she probably didn't have any of the kinds of thoughts about him that he did about her.

Kagome started the shower, and adjusted the temperature to where she was fairly certain it wasn't too hot for the hanyou. "Okay, InuYasha. Whenever you're ready, jump on in."

"How do I get this stuff off?" the hanyou called out from under the streaming water. Calamine lotion was somewhat water resistant so it would last longer.

"You need to use the soap," Kagome told him from outside the door.

"What soap?" he asked. There were bottles and fluffy things, but nothing resembling a bar of soap.

Kagome took a deep breath. It was now or never. She might never have an opportunity like this again. Quickly, she slipped off her clothing, and stepped into the shower with him. The hanyou's mouth flew open when he saw her naked form beside him.

"It's easier to show you," she said as she picked up one of the fluffy balls, and then a bottle. Squeezing some of the contents on in, she started to rub. "Turn around so I can get your back."

InuYasha complied, still somewhat in shock at this sudden development. But he surmised she just didn't want to get her clothing wet. Besides, she smelled like the nasty medicine, and needed to wash it off, too. He just turned in her hands as she guided him, and tried to remain calm as she washed even the most intimate places.

He felt the squishy thing thrust into his hand. "Will you wash my back now, please?"

The hanyou just nodded his response as she turned, and he ran the soap over her back. Following her example, he continued down her legs, and back up her front. He ended by wrapping his arms around her and holding her. She snaked her arms around him, and did the same. They stayed like that until the water started to lose its warmth.

"The hot water is running out. We'd better get out and dry off," she said softly.

"Keh."

They dried each other off, and then went back to Kagome's room with a towel wrapped around them. She found the pair of sweats to give to InuYasha to put on, while she pulled on sweats and a t-shirt.

"Ka…Kagome…"

"What is it, InuYasha?"

"The…the…the rosary… it's gone…"

"I know."

"But… but what happened?"

"I took it off of you last night," the miko answered.

"You did?"

"Yeah, I did."

"But… but why?" The hanyou's heart was pounding. He was afraid she didn't want anything to do with him any more.

Kagome turned to face him, and looked up into his eyes. "Because I realized that I love you, and I trust you with my life. I've used them on you when I shouldn't have, and you don't need them any more."

It was the miko's turn to be surprised when his lips crashed down on hers in a searing kiss. When he let her come up for air, he pulled her tightly against his body. "Thank you, Kagome."

He loosened his hold on her when he realized he was practically crushing her. Looking back into her eyes, he asked, "But where are they? What if you changed your mind?"

She shook her head, and pulling free, took his hand. "Come look at this."

She led him to the hallway where he had lain during the night, the blanket and sheet still where they left them. "Do you see this shiny dust that is everywhere?"

InuYasha nodded in response.

"Well, I don't know exactly what happened. I pulled the beads over your head, and said what I just told you. The next thing I knew, there was a flash and they were turned to pixie dust. InuYasha, I can't love you and not trust you. I have to hope that you will do the same," Kagome said quietly.

"I will, Kagome," InuYasha whispered. "And what you said… I … I…"

The miko responded, "I know you do, InuYasha. I know. I heard you the other night when you thought I was asleep. Just don't hurt me any more."

He pulled her to him again and kissed the top of her head. "I'll do my best. Kagome…"

"It's okay. We'll take it slow. We may have seen all there is to see of each other, but we have a lot to learn, and to explore. We've seen each other at our worst, and now we can work on seeing each other at our best. And right now, I'm exhausted. Do you think we can remake my bed and maybe try to get some sleep?" Kagome suggested.

InuYasha cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. "Keh. I could use some real sleep."

"I thought the tough hanyou didn't need any?" the miko teased.

"I lied," InuYasha answered. "I may not need as much, but I do need some. Last night didn't count."

Kagome reached up to give him another peck on the lips, and then took his hand and led him back to her room. She grabbed a clean top sheet and blanket to remake the bed. Throwing back the covers, she gestured for the hanyou to climb in.

InuYasha did, only this time his back was to the wall. Kagome snuggled up against him as he wrapped his arm possessively around her and tucked her into him. Together, they fell asleep, each realizing that things were about to get a lot more complicated. And neither could have been happier about it.

That wasn't the only thing that brought a smile to the hanyou's face. He couldn't wait until the furry runt realized the kotodama was gone. He kissed the miko's shoulder before he fell back asleep. Thanks to the chicken youkai, things were looking up.

_ finis _


End file.
